Valve



Eek. 11, 1936. J SPEAR 2,30,332

VALVE Filed Oct. 6, 1934 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE Application October 6,

3 Claims.

My invention relates to valves, and more particularly to valves operable by remote control.

The prime object of the present invention is the provision of a valve particularly adaptable for use as a drain cock for vehicle crank cases.

At the present time most automobile crank cases are merely provided with a threaded plug which is removed when it is desired to remove the oil therefrom. The plug is necessarily provided in the lowermost point in the crank case which is, of course, in the bottom of the crank case pan. In order to drain the crank case it is necessary that a person get under the car and use a wrench to loosen the plug. In order to facilitate this operation vehicles are usually driven upon a raised grease rack or over a pit.

My valve is so designed that it may be operated from a point beneath the hood beside the motor, and without a person getting under the car.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a valve for the purposes above described, and for further purposes described hereinbelow, which is new, novel, practical and of utility; which is positive in action; which is simple and inexpensive to install; the cost of manufacture of which, when the benefits derived are considered, is not prohibitive; which is durable; and, which will be efiicient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appear hereinbelow, my invention consists in the construction, novel features, and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims hereto appended, and illustrated in the accompanying onesheet drawing, of which,

Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a vehicle crank case showing the valve installed; and, V

I Figure 3 is a fragmentary top view of one of the pinions embodied in the device, showing its splined connection to the valve stem. 7

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, shape, weight and other details of construction, within the scope of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or broad principle of my invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof; and it is also understood that the draw- 1934, Serial No. 747,127 (Cl. 137-34) ing is to be interpreted as being illustrative and not restrictive.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions one of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

The reference numerals 1 and 2 (Fig. 2) indicate respectively the bottom and top members of a usual vehicle crank case, within which the valve .is operatively installed. The valve proper consists substantially of a tubular body or barrel 3 having interior threads 4 throughout most of its length, and its lower exterior portion having threads 5 whereby it may be threadedly installed in the bottom I. A usual split spring lock- Washer 6 is provided around the body adjacent the exterior surface of the bottom I and its protruding end is equipped with a lock-nut 7.

An exteriorly threaded plug or valve core 8 is engaged by the threads 4 and the core is provided with an axial upstanding stem 9 having a longitudinal superficial groove I6 extending throughout its length. 'The groove Ill is open at its upper end and its lower end terminates at the top of the core 8 Y The interior surface of the upper portion of the wall of the body 3 is smooth, and within this smooth portion is journaled for rotation the huh I l of a beveled pinion 52. The hub I! and pinion l2 are centrally bored so that they may receive therethrough the stem 9, and one or both of them are splined to the groove it so that the stem is permitted independent longitudinal movement with relation to the pinion but at the same time is forced to rotate with the pinion when the pinion is rotated. The exterior surface of the hub H is provided with a superficial annular groove l3.

Surrounding the upper portion of the body 3 is a collar i l having an outwardly and downwardly projecting portion or bracket 55 which is bored to receive the lower threaded end of a shaft i6. The collar M is held rigidly in place upon the body by a set-screw l? which is thread: ed into both the collar and the body and the inner rounded end of which projects into the previously described annular groove IS. The set-screw I1 is of such a length that it does not engage or bind the bottom surface of the groove I3, but extends into the groove only sufiiciently to prevent removal of the hub II from the body 3. The hub is therefore permitted free rotation within the body.

The upper portion of the previously described shaft I6 is enlarged and the enlargement forms an abrupt shoulder l8 adapted to bear upon the upper face of the bracket l5 when the shaft I6 is installed. The shaft is held rigidly in place with relation to the bracket by a lock-washer l9 and lock-nut 20. The enlarged portion of the shaft I6 is smooth exteriorly and projects above the upper face of the bracket 15, and its projecting portion receives a second beveled pinion 2! having an upstanding hub 22. The pinion 2| is in mesh at all times with the pinion l2 and is adapted to rotate upon the shaft. A stud-bolt, not shown, having a head 23 is engaged by a threaded bore in the upper end of the shaft [6 and acts as a means for preventing removal of the pinion 2! from the shaft.

A usual universal-joint 24 having a lower tubular free end portion 25 is installed upon the hub 22 and held rigidly with relation thereto by a set-screw 26. The bore of the tubular portion of the universal-joint is sufiiciently large in diameter to permit its free rotation around the head 33 of the previously described stud-bolt. The upper tubular member 21 of the universaljoint 24 threadedly engages a rod 28 which ex tends upwardly through and projects above the top 2 of the crank case, and its projecting end portion is equipped with a rigidly connected hand-wheel 29 by which it may be manually rotated. At the point at which the rod 28 extends through the top 2 of the crank case, abomparatively tight working fit is desirable, or a usual packing gland, not shown, may be provided if preferable.

Operation In operation, rotation of the rod 28 will cause a similar rotation of the pinion 2| which in turn will rotate the pinion I2. Rotation of the pinion l2 will, due to its splined connection with the stem 9, cause a similar rotation of the stem and the core 8. Rotation of the core 8 in desired directions will cause it to be moved as desired longitudinally in the body 3. A transverse pin or stop 3!! may be provided in the upper end of the stem 9 if desired in order to limit downward movement of the core.

In order to permit a fluid to pass outwardly from the interior of the crank case through the bore of the body 3, a plurality of openings 3| are provided in the body. When the core 8 is at the lower end of its permitted travel the bore of the body will be closed, and when at the upper end, the fiuid may pass through the openings 3| and out through the lower end of the body.

While the embodiment disclosed herein is described as applicable to vehicle crank cases, it will be apparent from the foregoing description that it may readily be used for many other specific and general purposes, particularly those instances where a remote control is desirable.

Gbviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations and other uses of the form of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A drain valve for vehicle crank-cases, embodying an interiorly and exteriorly threaded tubular valve housing having lateral inlet ports for admitting liquid, the exterior threads of said housing adapted to engage a drain hole in the bottom of a crank-case, a solid cylindrical core threadedly engaged within the housing and adapted to open and close the inlets, a pinion journaled in the upper end of the housing, an axial stem carried by the core passing through the pinion and having a splined connection therewith whereby the stem is permitted longitudinal movement independently of the pinion but is forced to similar rotation with the pinion, a laterally extending bracket carried by the housing, a second pinion carried by the bracket and In mesh with the first pinion, a shaft for rotating the second pinion, a swivel joint carried by the shaft, and a second shaft connected to the joint and adapted to pass through the top of the crankcase.

2. A drain valve for vehicle crank-cases, embodying a vertically disposed tubular valve casing opening through the bottom of the crankcase and enclosed therein, a vertically disposed solid valve core threaded throughout its length and disposed within the casing, said casing having lower discharge ports adapted to be closed by said core, a pinion journaled in the upper end of the casing, an axial stem carried by the core passing through the pinion and having a splined connection therewith whereby the stem is permitted longitudinal movement independently of the pinion but is forced to similar rotation with the pinion, a laterally extending bracket carried by the housing, a second pinion carried by the bracket and in mesh with the first pinion, a shaft for rotating the second pinion, a swivel joint carried by the shaft, and a second shaft connected to the joint and adapted to pass through the top of the crank-case.

3. A drain valve for vehicle crank-cases, embodying a tubular casing having a lateral inlet and an axial outlet, the bore of said casing having threads, a valve core threadedly engaged within the casing and adapted to be moved upwardly out of registration with the outlet and inlet, a pinion journaled in the upper end of the casing, an axial stem carried by the core passing through the pinion and having a splined connection therewith whereby the stem is permitted longitudinal movement independently of the pinion but is forced to similar rotation with the pinion, a laterally extending bracket carried by the housing, a second pinion carried by the bracket and in mesh with the first pinion, a shaft for rotating the second pinion, a swivel joint carried by the shaft, and a second shaft connected to the joint and adapted to pass through the top of the crank-case.

JOHN E. SPEAR. 

